A large, 14-year-old adult male grizzly was captured and euthanized Monday after killing chickens at a residence in Wapiti.

After the homeowners reported the bear to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, officials set up a trap within feet of their home on Ptarmigan Drive. The bear had killed three chickens and been trapped and relocated two previous times, said Dusty Lasseter, Wyoming Bear Wise coordinator.

“Both of those previous captures were what we call a non-target capture, which means we were trying to capture another bear for conflict and he jumped in the trap,” Lasseter said. “But this time he had a big injury on his back and was in poor physical condition.”

After consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — the agency responsible for managing grizzlies while they’re listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act — Game and Fish officials euthanized the bear.

The large bruin was the third grizzly “lethally removed” by wildlife managers in Wyoming so far this year. An adult male was trapped and euthanized from the Cottonwood Creek area just north of Cody on Saturday, April 25. That followed repeated conflicts in developed areas and after failed attempts to haze the bear away from developments.

“He was exhibiting bold, unnatural behavior,” Lasseter said.

Another grizzly was trapped and killed in the Jackson area on April 29 after obtaining numerous food rewards, damaging property and entering structures.

“We’ve drastically reduced conflicts over the years, but it’s still important that people are diligent and secure all their attractants — whether that be bird feeders or barnyard animals like chickens and goats,” Lasseter said Wednesday.

At the time of the interview, he was working to set another trap at an undisclosed location near Cody.